Inhalation apparatus



Oct. 20, 1953 M, 1 JONES 2,655,918

INHALATION APPARATUS Filed June 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l A InventorJarmam M. L. JBnes WM MW Attorney Oct. 20, 1953 J M. JONES 2,655,918

INHALATION APPARATUS Filed June 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor JarmaV1 L- 327F485 M 6. AW

Attorney Patented Oct. 20, 195.?

INHALATION APPARATUS Jarman Maldwyn Lloyd Jones, London, England,assignor to Riddell Products Limited, London, England, a British companyApplication June 18, 1951, Serial No. 232,105 In Great Britain June 27,1950 1 Claim.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved insulationapparatus of the kind employed for inhaling atomized medicaments andcomprising a container for the inhalant, atomizing means in saidcontainer and external air compressing means coupled to said atomizinmeans, and a detachable head portion forming a closure for saidcontainer and having a delivery nozzle, mouthpiece or mask for locationover or close to the users mouth and/or nose.

It is usual for the aforesaid container to be screwed direct to the headportion and it has been found that the screw threads bind, so makingdismantling of the device difiicult or impossible, or else become looseso leading to leakage of the medicament owing to variations in theexpansion of the said container and heat portions. This difiiculty isaccentuated by the use of different materials for the container headportions respectively, and it will be appreciated that it is necessaryto use transparent material for the container so that a user canascertain whether there is any inhalant therein, whilst the head portionin the interests of economy and ease of manufacture is made from anothermaterial.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a screwedcoupling between the said head and container portions which will notbind or become loosened even under the varying temperature conditions towhich the inhaler may be subjected.

Another object is to provide a coupling where the formation of a screwthread on the container is entirely avoided by the provision of acoupling collar which makes a compression joint with the container and ascrew-threaded joint with the head portion of the inhaler.

In order that the invention may be well understood, two embodimentsthereof will now be described, by way of example only, in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a part-sectional elevation of one embodiment of inhalationapparatus according to the invention adapted for use with a mask andshown in operative position, a

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a second embodiment of inhalationapparatus according to the invention, and

Figure 3 is a plan view of a bafile.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the inhalation apparatus is providedwith a container I, preferably of transparent material such as celluloseacetate, in which inhalation liquid is stored. the level of which beingindicated at 2. A hand bulb 3 serves as a source of compressed air andis connected to the container I by a tube 4. A

single bulb may be used, or a double bulb, 3, 3' may be employed asshown. The second bulb 3' then serves as an air container and ensures aneven flow of compressed air into the container l. The said tube 4 isconnected through a screwthreaded nipple 5 in the bottom end of thecontainer to an air jet 6 mounted in a rubber washer 8 and extendinginside the container. The air jet is of glass and is provided with afine outlet 1. Mounted adjacent the air jet 6 and inclined at an anglethereto is a further jet 9 through which liquid is entrained when airissues from the air jet, the said further jet 9 also being made of glassand having its inlet end I I) located near the base of the container soas to be immersed in the inhaling medicament with which the container ischarged. The upper end of the last mentioned jet is provided with a fineoutlet Il positioned close to and directed over, the outlet I of the airjet 6.

The head portion I2 013 the apparatus is preferably moulded from anopaque material such as Bakelite (a registered trade-mark) and consistsof a circular base portion I3 having a downwardly extending peripheralflange I 4, said flange being internally threaded as at I5. Mounted onsaid base portion and integral therewith is a fixed outer sleeve l6,disposed with its axis at right angles to the axis of the said base I3.

A rotatable inner tube II fits within the sleeve with a liquid-tightjoint and is adapted to turn within it. This inner tube is of suchlength as to extend from each end of the sleeve, one end of the tubebeing adapted to receive an inhalation mask I8, so formed and shaped asto fit over a users mouth and nose. The other end of the tube is formedwith a threaded boss 3|. A screw cap 32 engages the boss 3| to bearagainst the sleeve I'E through a washer 33, thereby holding the innertube IT in liquid-tight engagement within the sleeve I6, but not so asto prevent rotation of the tube I1 within the sleeve It. The said innertube is provided with a central passage I9 connecting the mask to apassage 20 extending upwardly and centrally through the base portion I3.The other end of the inner tube is also drilled with a passage 2|connectable to a further passage 22 extending upwardly through the baseportion I3 and disposed adjacent the said central passage 20 through thebase, such further passage forming a breather opening. In each case therespective pairs of passages are connectable to the container by meansof radially drilled holes 23, 24, in the wall of the tube I'I. r

The mask I8 is located on and engages the reduced end 25 of-the innertube I! by a fiat 26, and by rotating the mask and thereby the innertube the two passages 20 and 22 through the base portion I3 may besealed off from their respective connecting passages I9 and 2| in thetube by the wall of the said tube.

A cylindrical downwardly depending sleeve 2'! extends from the baseportion 13 in alignment with the .central passage 20 therethrough, andis such that when .the head portion isconnected to the container itsurrounds the outlets i and l i of the aforementioned jets 6 and 9respectively.

A coupling collar 28 is provided, being preferably of the same materialas that from which the head portion I2 is moulded. "The icollar makes asliding fit around the container 1 ,theupper end of which is providedwith an outwardly extending flange portion 29 against which collar :28is adapted to abut. The external diameter of the collar 28 is slightlygreater than that of .the said flange 29 on the container, and theupper'part of said collar is externally threaded for engagement with theinternally threaded flange M of the above mentioned base portion I3.

By screwing the collar 2'8firmly into the base portion I3 the top of thecontainer I is held tightly in and against said base therebyproviding aneffectively sealed connection. A rubber ring or'like sealing element 35}may be placedbetween the engaging surfaces-ofthe container and baseportion.

As shown in the drawing} the annular flange ZB 'isrelatively thin in thedirection of its'axis, thereby reducing to a minimum the amount ordifferential expansion and contraction which must be accommodated inthejoint.

Thus an efiective fluid-tight connection is provided between twocomponents of the inhalation apparatus, each being of diiierentmaterial, which connection does not entail any'direct threadedengagementbetween those two difierent materials.

In use the mask is turnedto operative position, the'position shown inFig. 1, thereby bringing the various-passages in thehead portion intocoincidence, and then by squeezing the hand-bulb compressed air isforced into the container. This induces a'fine atomisationof liquid toissue from the liquid jet 9, such "atomisation being vaporized attheair-jet outlet I and thevapour then passing-up the dependingsleeve 21into the head por- ,tion 12 and thence to the mask 18. The apparemovableclosure 52 so as to prevent leakage or evaporation when the apparatus isnot in use.

The above mentioned cap portion is provided witha baseflange 53 whichisinternally threaded for engagement by a collar '54 similar to thecollar already described, and the container is provided with anoutwardly directed peripherial flange 55 against which the inner face ofthe collar abuts. The container can therefore be connected to the cap.portion bymeans-of a fluid-tight compression joint and the latter is notadversely aiiected by differencesin'thecoefficients of expansion of thematerial :fromwhich the cap portion and conitainer are made.

As in the case of the earlier example. the container is preferably madefrom cellulose acetate or other transparent material and the cap portionis preferably moulded "from opaque plastic material.

Preferably, a rubber ring or like sealing element 6B is placed betweenthe engaging surfaces of thecontainerand eap portion as in the firstembodiment. "If desiredaabafiie may be interposed between the saidsealingjring 60 and'the capportion for the purpose of improvingatomisation such bafii'efor'instancebeing in the form-0f a disc 6| asshown inFigureB. V

'It will be understood th'at'various changes and modifications may "bemade without departing from the scope of't'he inven'tion. Ashas beenaid,

- single or double compression bulbs maybe used,

while the embodiment shown in 'Fig. 2 may also be adapted to be usedwith a "face-mask if desired-similar'to that Shown in Fig. 1.

Furthermore, the 'col1ar'could 'be channel:

shaped in cross-section, the outer wall of the channel being internal-1ythreaded to engage an externally threaded portion of the head por tion,the inner wall of the channel abutting against the flange on "thecontainer.

Tatusmy be filled through the. passage 2| in t ii inner tube remote fromthe end carrying the mask. n

.When not in use, the mask, and thereby the inner tube 11 is turned toinoperative position whereby the passages extending through the base 5portion are completely sealed ofi 'by the inner tube.

In another embodiment of the present invention, suitable for carrying-in the pocket and shown injFig. 2, the inhalation apparatus againcomprises a transparent container 4] for the inhalant liquid, the levelof which is indicated at 42,, such container having atomisationproducing means 55., 49 similar for instance to those already described,held in a rubber washer 48 and connected to a hand bulb or other aircompress ing means 53, .a connecting member 44 held in the bulb makingthreaded engagement as at 45 with the container 4 |.---The=saidcontainer instead, however of being detachably connected to a headportion havingaplurality of passages and a mask, is connected to a cappcrtion having a delivery nozzle 51 suitable for being directed into auser's mouth or nostril. The said cap portion maybe of dome like shapewith the delivery nozzle extending therefrom at an angle, and the outletend of the said nozzle maybe provided with a portionpro'viding acircular opening at its outer end, said cylindrical portion having athin annular flange extending outwardly therefrom at its open end, meansin said container for atomizing said inhalant, means for supplyingcompressed air to said atomizing means, a head portion formed ofmaterial having a different coeflicient of expansion fromthe material ofsaid container. said head portion having afl'at annular surface forming.a seat for said thin annular hangs on said container and being formedwith an inter nallythreaded cylindrical flange surrounding said seatingsurface and said annular flange, and a clamping collar formed of thesame material as said head portion and having a portion extending intosaid annular flange and externally screw threaded to engage the internalthreads of said cylindrical flange, said clamping collar having afurther portion thereof positioned to engage the rear face of saidannular flange and to press the front face thereof into sealingengagement with the annular seating surface of said head portion.

JARMAN MALDWYN "LLOYD JONES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PA'TENTS 7Number Name v Date 447,064 vShurtleff Feb. 24, 1891 2,202,701 Lehmann'May 28, 1940 2,421,359 Sutherland May 27, 194?

